bio unit 1 - ecology

ecology

the study of the interactions of living things with each other and their physical environment

hierarchy

classifies the relationships of living things to each other and their environment

hierarchy from smallest to largest

• individual

• population

• community

• ecosystem

• biome

• biosphere

individual

a single plant or animal in a species

species

a group of organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring

population

all the members of a species living in the same location

community

all the living organisms in a given area

ecosystem

all living things and their environment. interactions between living and nonliving things

biome

a group of ecosystems that share similar climate and typical organisms

climate

long term, year or annual averages for precipitation and temperature

precipitation and temperature

what mostly defines biomes

biosphere

all parts of the earth where life exists

8 km above earth’s surface and 11 km below the surface of the ocean

limits of the biosphere

abiotic factors

nonliving things in an ecosystem

biotic factors

living things in an ecosystem

limiting factors

the factors that restrict the growth and distribution of a population. can be biotic or abiotic

abiotic limiting factors

temperature, geography, territory

biotic limiting factors

predators, prey, food

habitat

the natural environment in which an organism lives, which provides the resources an organisms needs for survival

tolerance range

the range of conditions a species can survive in

optimal range

the best conditions for survival

exponential population growth

populations grow quickly, but will overshoot their carrying capacity and eventually decline due to resources becoming limited

r selected species

species that experience exponential growth

bacteria, insects, fish

examples of r selected species

logistic growth

population growth that occurs only until they reach carrying capacity

k selected species

species that experience logistic growth

mammals

example of k selected species

carrying capacity

the maximum number of organisms an ecosystem can support indefinitely

density dependent factors

factors affected by the number of individuals in an area

disease, competition

examples of density dependent factors

density independent factors

factors that are not affected by population size

fires, drought, pollution, hurricanes

examples of density independent facotrs

niche

an organism’s role in its community

resource

any necessity required for life

competition

organisms attempt to use the same limited resource in the same place at the same time

intraspecific competition

competition between members of the same species, usually more competitive

interspecific competition

competition between members of different species, often less competitive

intra

within

inter

between